St. Joseph's Church was built during the reign of
King Narai in 1666 as a result of a request from the missionaries
headed by Bishop Lambert de la Motte a missionary who wished to build a
church and a mission school. The original wooden church was rebuilt in
bricks and mortar in the European style between 1685 and 1695. During
the second Burmese attack, the Siamese used the church as a shelter
which led to its being destroyed on 23 March 1767. In 1831 Father
Pallegoix came to Siam and took care of the restoration work on the
church. The restoration was completed in 1847. More additions in the
12th century Romanesque style were made during the tenure of Father
Perros during the reign of King Rama V. The church is a place of
continuous Catholic worship in Thailand for over 300 years.
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